Journey of Hope

INTRODUCTION

In 1987, one man’s dream of riding his bike across the country came true. What he did not know was the inspiration and motivation his trek across America would give to The Ability Experience. The very next year, his ride inspired The Ability Experience to create the largest fraternal fundraising and awareness event of its kind, the Journey of Hope. Today the Journey of Hope covers 32 different states, cycling over 12,000 miles combined, it is solely comprised of members of Pi Kappa Phi and continues to spread a message of acceptance and understanding for people with disabilities. I took part in the 2013 south route team and rode from Long Beach, California to Ocean City, Maryland.

CHALLENGE

Goals:

My individual goal is to raise $6,000 as a part of my team’s goal of raising over $650,000. We will also be reaching out to thousands of people with disabilities along the way, and striving to spread our message of acceptance and understanding to more than 40 million people.

Ride my bike with the Journey of Hope team from Long Beach, CA to Washington, D.C.

Desired Outcome

Learn what it takes to raise money for a cause and how to do it.

Become an avid cyclist and make it to not only Washington, D.C., but also the Atlantic Ocean.

Get an insight on what it is like to leave home for more than a week.

Get a whole new set of friends for a lifetime.

Learn to deal with eating new foods and constantly changing environments

PRE-JOURNEY ASSESSMENT

Skills:

Cycling ability – None

Teamwork ability – hardly any

Fundraising experience – None

Volunteer experience – minimal

Obstacles:

No bike

An abundant amount of fears

Lack of skills(noted above)

Solutions to obstacles:

Borrow one from a fellow fraternity brother – Thank you Selbach!!!

Take it one day at a time

Practice, do it, fail, repeat until they are improved

Resources:

Overwhelming support from everyone

Past JOH(Journey of Hope) rider’s experiences.

Past JOH rider’s online blogs

JOURNEY (click book below)

LONGEST DAY (click link below)

CONCLUSION

These are a collection of daily wisdom’s that I discovered through out my journey! Feel free to snag these simple wisdom’s for yourself to live by!

Be grateful for what you have.

Never let fear decide your future.

Give a lot of love and give to those who help you through life such as your family and friends. I know wouldn’t be the person I am today without them.

Pain is just weakness leaving the body

Laughter is the best medicine

You can create an area of emotions and vibes. Putting out a positive and happy vibe will get picked up by everyone that comes into your surroundings. The quickest way to pic up a group of people is to bring that energy to them. Be careful not to bring negative energy though, cause it will spread to everyone in a horrible way.

New experiences open new doors to life. We only have so much time on this earth, break the repetitiveness and do something about the norm!!!

Whenever an opportunity arises, it is best to take it! Opportunities can promote growth and provide a more enjoyable life!

Coming up with great ideas do not give results. Conquering those goals that define the idea is what gives the results. Don’t talk, do!

The moment you feel like you can’t push or exercise anymore, you have only used up 30% of your muscle and energy.

Working out your body and mind together give the best results! Endurance sports do both and push you to limits beyond your imaginations. The benefits out way the pain to get there!

Have Faith to make it through your fears and the unknown are key to having a successful and meaningful journey in life.

Surprise yourself with trying new things! It’s a great feeling when you try something new and it adds a whole new path or part to your life.

Breaking through barriers and connecting with individuals are truly rewarding experiences.

Sleep is key to good health

Your first family is the ones you were raised with and friends. The second family is your fraternity. The third is your community. The fourth is the rest of the world. Building strong bonds and interweaving those 4 sets of family will create a better world and provide a more enjoyable life.

Always express love and gratitude towards loved ones and friends

Going out to camps or long summer events can really change a person’s perspective on life!

Tomorrow is promised to no one.

A huge goal can be accomplished successfully with a common mission, trust, and your community. Journey of Hope uses these three things to become a success!